Choosing the Right Search Engine Optimization Company

When you make the decision to improve your online brand identity, you will likely come to the conclusion that hiring a search engine marketing company is a good idea. How do you find the right one? There are so many choices out there, it can be daunting to make a choice. These tips will help guide you in the right direction.

Areas of expertise

When investigating search engine optimization companies, it’s important to get a feel for the specific areas of expertise each one has. Do they know how to optimize both static and dynamic sites? Do they know how to utilize e-commerce packages to optimize your site? Depending on what your needs are, you’ll want to find a company whose expertise is a good match.

Are they really an SEO company?

Some firms that claim to be an SEO service aren’t really that at all. They are just a submission service that will submit your website to several directories, and nothing more. There’s no linking, content creation, or coding involved. If you come across a company who offers “SEO” services for much cheaper than all of the others, let that be a red flag. Be sure you are actually getting true SEO services. Look for a company that offers services like:

Code editing
Keyword analytics
Link building
Content writing

You might want to look for a company that includes additional services such as press releases, blog writing, and article submission. Some more expensive service packages will also go the extra mile to include things like conversion tracking.

Ask to see the following pieces of information from your SEO firm. If they are hesitant to share the info with you, be wary: Real-time statistics, visibility reports, Alexa rating, and Google PageRank.

Questions to ask an SEO company

What keywords are currently being successful for you? What about PPC words?

What tools do you use to perform keyword research? Do you have a dedicated, in-house keyword research tool?

How many accounts does each of your account execs manage? The lower the client-to-manager ratio, the better for you because the manager will be able to dedicate more time to your campaign.

How many hours will you dedicate to my account per month?

How big is your company? You’ll want to choose a company that is large enough to have the resources to help you stay competitive while being small enough to give your account the personal attention it deserves.

Finally, investigate the firm’s reputation. If they have had lots of complaints launched against them with the Better Business Bureau, for example you might not want to entrust them with your search engine optimization. If they have lots of positive reviews, by contrast, they might be with a shot.

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